The Guardians
by mitchellsunf
Summary: After making a promise to Emily Bennett, Stefan and Damon are forced to protect Bonnie against an evil seeking to destroy the Bennett line.
1. Chapter 1

The sound of thunder echoed throughout the cemetery. The rain was lightly pouring down on all those who stood by the recent grave of Shelia Bennett. Most trying to connect with the pastor's words that would honor her. However, one girl stared blankly ahead as the words became meaningless.

Bonnie Bennett looked on ahead, her eyes filled with tears. She tried to understand why she lost so much in life. When she was six, she suffered the lost of both her parents. After that she had moved in with her Grams. She became her parent, friend, and mentor to Bonnie. And now she was standing by her Grams' grave. As more tears fell from her eyes a soft hand gently grabbed hers. She lifted her head to see a familiar brunette by her side.

Elena Gilbert had been her best friend for as long as she remembered. They grew up together, and over the years they grew to become sisters. Elena also knew what she was going through and what she was feeling. After she lost her parents, she and her brother, Jeremy went to live with their aunt Jenna. Jenna had been an immature college student when she had received the news of her new responsibility as guardian. Bonnie had always admired her for stepping up and never taking them for granted. She was now also grateful to her since she had accepted a new responsibly: taking care of her as well. Jenna's offer to become Bonnie's guardian didn't really shock anyone. She was known for her good heart. Bonnie had no rejections since she really need to be around people she loved.

She turned to look in the concerned eyes of her best friend. No words were exchanged as Elena took in Bonnie's defeated form. She started to squeeze her hand tighter to let her know she was not alone. As the service ended another figure approached them. Elena came to know her as Lucy, Bonnie's free spirited cousin who had a knack for trouble.

Lucy approached the two girls with a bit of reluctance. She looked to her cousin, who looked broken down and she couldn't blame the kid for being that way. "I have to go, Bonnie." She forced a small smile.

"Y-you just got here."

"I know, but I'll try to be back as soon as possible."

"Where are you going?" She asked, not in the mood to argue.

"I just got some things to take care of." She said, impassively. "Are you going to be okay?"

Honestly, she had no idea. She felt as if anything could break her. "I think so."

Lucy sullenly nodded and turned her eyes to Elena. "Take care of her."

"I will," She said, having no intention of breaking her promise.

"See you later, Cuz." Lucy patted Bonnie on the shoulder before walking away.

Elena turned back to Bonnie, who was still staring at Sheila's grave. "Are you ready to go? Jenna and Jeremy are waiting in the car."

She nodded, "Yeah, lets go." As they made their way toward Jenna's car, Bonnie spotted two familiar faces staring at them. One with dark blond hair and bright blue eyes. And the other with black hair with piercing brown eyes. Matt gave a sympathetic smile, and Tyler looked out of place. She had known that giving comfort to others wasn't a quality Tyler had. Bonnie and Elena had been friends with Matt and Tyler since the first grade. Matt had always had a crush on Elena, but she never returned his feelings until middle school. They had become the perfect couple after all that. "Do you want to go talk to Matt?" Bonnie asked, looking to Elena.

"No, I'll call him later. Lets get you home." With one last wave toward Matt and Tyler, Elena led her best friend away.

Jenna turned to face the girls as they climbed into the back seat. Her eyes landed on Bonnie, whose line of vision was still fixated on the grave of her grandmother. "Hey kiddo," She said, gaining her attention. "You okay?" Bonnie hesitated, she began to respond before Jenna cut her off. "Right. Stupid question, sorry."

"Jenna, I'm fine." She said, trying to reassure her. "I just want to get back. Maybe get some sleep?"

Jenna looked apologetic at her before saying, "Everyone's going to be at our house giving their sympathies." She smiled jokingly at her. "And to eat up our food."

Bonnie cracked a small smile at her. This was what she needed. A family who she loved, and that loved her back. Somewhere to feel safe. As Jenna started the car, Bonnie's eyes turned back to the grave of her grandmother, watching as it gradually disappeared from her vision.

When they all arrived back home, the first guest to greet them were the Martins. Dr. Jonas had been good friends with her grandmother. Whenever Bonnie was around they seemed secretive or more private. Elena had suggested that 'maybe they have a thing' with a wink, but the idea was so appalling she didn't even consider it. Luka had always been nice to Bonnie and she had considered him a close friend. That changed when Luka started becoming distant and closed off. She didn't know the reason for that and she never asked. Then there was Greta, who always showed nothing but contempt toward her.

Jonas was the first one to speak. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Bonnie. Sheila was a great woman."

"Thank you, Dr. Martin." She muttered, she didn't realize how much she longed for Elena's presence until she left to help Jenna and Jeremy with the food. "She would be glad you're here."

Dr. Martin gave a small nod and Luka stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Bonnie." She took note of the sincerity of his voice before he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She slowly rose her arms to return the hug. He gave a small smile after they broke apart. Jonas and Luka turned their heads to the other Martin. Greta gave a quiet sigh before looking up at Bonnie, a bored expression covering her face.

"Sorry," She stated shortly before folding her arms and looking around. "I'm hungry. Where's the food already?"

"Greta," Jonas scolded, before giving Bonnie an apologetic look. "I'm sorry." They all turned to leave, but Dr. Martin stopped and turned back. "If you need anything just call me."

Bonnie nodded, "Okay."

He grabbed her hand, his expression so serious that it scared her a little. "I mean it. If you have any questions or…" He broke off. "I'll be around."

All she could do was nod once more and then he was off. She didn't have time to ponder his behavior when she noticed Tyler and Matt walking toward her. Matt tightly wrapped his arms around her. "You know we're here for you, right? Whatever you need don't be afraid to ask."

She held him just as tightly. Matt had always knew how to console her. His embrace was always welcoming and warm. "Of course, thanks for being here." When they broke apart she looked around and noticed someone was missing. "Where's Vicki?"

"She's around here somewhere."

Tyler stepped toward them and placed a hand on Bonnie's shoulder. "I'm sorry about Grams, Bonnie. We're all going to miss her."

She nodded her thanks. "I appreciate you guys being here today. Without you, Elena, Jenna, and Jeremy…I don't think I could've made it."

"There's nowhere else we would be." Matt responded.

After Matt and Tyler moved on Bonnie excused herself. She stepped outside of the house and onto the porch. She was alone for the first time today. She let a shaky breath out as the past events flooded back to her.

_A few days ago she, Elena, Matt and Tyler had went to some college guy's party. She and Elena stuck close together. "Jeremy's still acting weird."_

"_Weird how?" _

"_I dunno he's so secretive. But it's not a I'm-back-on-drugs secretive." _

"_That's good right?" Elena shrugged tiredly. "Maybe he's seeing someone." _

"_Like who?"_

"_Vicki?" _

"_Vicki Donovan? Where do you come up with this stuff Bonnie?" _

"_What? It's entirely possible. Whenever those two are in the same room, I get this vibe." _

"_Still working the physic angle?" _

"_It's not an angle I totally predicted the ending to True Blood last night." _

_Elena laugh at her friend. "Okay, fine." _

_After an hour they both grew tired of the party. She and Elena decided to head back home. She dropped Elena off and headed to her Grams. She grinned at the thought that her Grams would be pleased that she was back before curfew for once. Once she got home she immediately noticed her grandmother's form lying on the couch. She grinned at the sight thinking her Grams had simply fallen asleep. She walked closer, grin still on her face. "Grams, you'll be way more comfortable on your bed." She got worried when she didn't hear a response. "Grams?" She still received no response when she shook her. She started to panic as she reached for her cell phone. Tears were starting to build as she called for an ambulance. As she waited she muttered once sentence repeatedly. "Grams, please be okay." _

"Bonnie?" Elena called from behind her. She slowly turned around to face her best friend. "What are doing out here?" She asked softly.

"Just getting fresh air. I'll be back in soon." Elena looked as if she wanted to say something but she simply nodded and went back inside.

Just as she was about to head back in another voice halted her. "Is this the Gilbert residence?" There were two men standing in front of her. One with green eyes and the other with a piercing blue.

Bonnie had never seen them around town before she wondered where try were from. "Yes." She answered simply.

"I'm Stefan Salvatore and this is my brother Damon." The younger guy said. "You must be Bonnie Bennett." She gave a small nod in affirmation. "Our uncle Zach was a friend of your grandmother. We met her a few times and we wanted to pay our respects."

She remembered Zach Salvatore. He lived in the old boarding house. He was a nice enough man, but he mostly kept to himself. She forced a small smile. "It's nice to meet you both. You can just come inside." She turned without another word and re-entered the house. They both followed behind her. "I have to go check on some other things, but thank you for coming."

As Bonnie walked away Damon turned toward his little brother. "So, that's Emily's grand witch? She doesn't look that tough."

Stefan rolled his eyes at him. "I don't even think she knows she's a witch."

"Perfect. So when whoever comes along to finish off the Bennett line she'll be dead soon and we can leave." He shrugged and looked toward the ceiling. "Sorry Emily we gave it our best efforts." He saw the disapproving looks his brother was shooting his way. "What? Sheila died fighting and she was a full fledged witch. What chance do you think she'll have."

"I don't know Damon. But whatever comes for her we'll be there to protect her. We owe that to Emily."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Whatever," He brushed off. "Remember you're the one enrolling in high school to look after her. If she makes it that long." Stefan's retort was cut off when he noticed three people glaring at him. They didn't have to guess who they were. They knew of the Martins almost as long as they knew the Bennetts. "Yeah, we've seen enough. Let's get out of here before the power of three fry our brains."

Stefan nodded before they both made their way out. "You think they know about Sheila's death?" He asked when they got outside.

"I'm pretty sure there's some witchy hotline they use."

"We could explain why we're here. They can help us protect Bonnie."

Damon scoffed, "No." He answered bluntly. "I don't want them. I don't trust them."

"Then where the hell are we suppose to start?"

Damon's lips curved into a smirk. "School starts soon."

* * *

**A/N: **So this is my first update in forever. This idea popped into my head and since I've been uninspired when it comes to the show/books I jumped at it and wrote it. Please let me know what you think and who I should include in the story. (Besides Alaric and Caroline because they're coming.)


	2. Chapter 2

_1 month later_

_Bonnie had just dropped Elena off at home. She set off in the direction of her Gram's home. As she walked through the door she could feel something was off. She heard a strangled gasp come from the living room. She rushed into the room as panic to over. When she entered the room she found her grandmother standing in the middle of the room, a determined look upon her face. "Malum a me pelle." Her face strained a little, almost painfully. "Eaque militia revelet tuum verum essentia." _

"_Grams!" Bonnie shouted, but her words were useless. Grams didn't even acknowledge her calls. "What is happening?" _

"_I won't let you get to her." Grams continued in English. "Whatever you are I will not let you get my granddaughter." _

_Bonnie almost lost balance as the place began to shake. Her grandmother chants began again with an extra force between them. The candles her Grams always kept for emergencies all lit at once. Before the shock could register in Bonnie, it all stopped. The candles had extinguished, the shaking had stopped. However, the only image Bonnie could see was her Grams falling backward on the couch. Her body was now lifeless as she laid with her eyes closed. "Grams!" She couldn't hold back her terrified cries. She attempted to rush toward her, but an unforeseeable force held her back. "Grams!"_

"Wake up, Bonnie." A soft, frightened voice called. Bonnie's green eyes shot open to be faced with Elena's doe eyes.

"Elena?" She let out a sigh of relief before nodding. This had not been the first time this had happen. Bonnie's nightmares had been almost incessant since her Gram's death. Sometimes in the middle of the night she'd wake up screaming her Gram's name. She felt guilty that she had been a burden on Elena, Jenna, and Jeremy, but all three had brushed the issue off. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Shh," Elena ran her hand through Bonnie's locks. "I know, it's okay."

"Did I wake you again?"

"No, I was getting dressed."

"For what?"

"Bonnie, it's the first day of school. It's our senior year."

Realization crossed her face. "Right,"

"I could just go get your schedule for you. You don't have to go."

"No," She shook her head before she stood up. "I decided that since this was a new year, I will be the new Bonnie. I vow to stop being the girl that makes everyone uncomfortable and live life." She paused, looking to a picture on her nightstand. It was of her and Grams on her fourteenth birthday. "Grams would want me to."

Elena gave her an encouraging smile. "I think so too."

As Bonnie went over to the closet she and Elena shared, she turned back to her. "What about you? Are you going to be okay after the whole Matt thing?"

Elena had confided in her and Jenna a few weeks ago that she no longer felt the spark between her and Matt. A few days later, she had decided to officially break things off between them. Matt didn't show it, but Bonnie knew that he was heartbroken. "Yeah, I guess. I hope things aren't too awkward and we can all be friends again."

Bonnie gave her best reassuring smile. "I'm sure things will be right again."

She gave her a smile in response. "Go get dressed, Jenna made breakfast."

* * *

Damon walked in Stefan's room to find him still dressing. "Got everything you need champ? Notebooks? Pencils?" He said in a condescending voice.

"Funny," Stefan replied sarcastically. "Caroline here yet?"

"Yes!" An excited voice piped in. The bubbly blonde walked in and stood beside Damon. They had recruited the vampire into their mission, which she happily accepted. Caroline hadn't been a vampire that long. Stefan and Damon took her under their wing and taught her the ropes of being a vampire. She had caught on fairly quickly, much to Damon's surprise. "Stefan, are you really wearing that shirt?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "So, the grand plan is to watch over baby witch until something comes after her?"

"Until a better one comes up. Caroline and I will work on getting close to her. The closer we are to her the better we can protect her."

Damon sighed, "And our deal from hell will finally be done. Well, one way or another."

"We will protect her, Damon." Stefan insisted, staring intensely at his brother. After a few moments he broke his gaze and turned back to the blonde. "Ready to go?"

"Totally," She replied, "But are you _really_ wearing that shirt?"

* * *

An hour later, Bonnie, Elena, and Jeremy arrived at school. As soon as they approached the school, Jeremy broke away from the two. "Do you think he's ashamed of us?" Elena asked jokingly as they walked the halls.

"Me? No. You? Definitely." She replied with a laugh.

After they retrieved their schedules from the office a feminine voice stopped them. "Excuse me," They both turned back to be face with a blonde. "I need help getting to Mr. Tanner's room. I'm new obviously."

They both smiled back at her. "Sure," Elena replied, "Just go down the hall and make a right."

"He'll be the teacher yelling sarcastically at his students." Bonnie joined in.

Caroline laughed, "Thanks, by the way I'm Caroline."

"I'm Bonnie and this is Elena."

"It's nice to meet you Elena." She shook her hand before turning to Bonnie. When their hands connected Bonnie felt a jolt go through her. She immediately pulled back.

"Bonnie?" Elena's confused voice questioned.

Caroline's smile faltered for less than a second. "Static electricity." She said simply with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Yeah, sorry," Bonnie knew she was acting crazy, but when she touched Caroline she got a bad feeling. It almost felt like what she'd imagine death to be like.

"Well, if you guys aren't too busy do you mind showing me around?"

Before Bonnie could reply, Elena answered, "Sure, you can hang with us."

The three girls had discovered that they had mostly all of their classes together. It had only been a few hours but, they both felt like they known Caroline for years. Bonnie was separated from them in her AP literature class. She had absent-mindedly chosen a seat. She started to get her supplies out of her bag. "Bonnie?" She turned to see the guy she met on the day of Gram's funeral.

"Hi…Steven?"

He laughed, "Actually, it's Stefan."

"Sorry Stefan," She said, mentally placing the correct name in. "I didn't know you were a student here."

"Yeah, I just enrolled with my friend Caroline. Have you met her?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yeah, she's pretty cool. How long have you known her?"

"Well, my family took her in after her dad died."

"She didn't mention you before."

"She doesn't really like to talk about it."

Bonnie nodded, she knew the feeling. There was nothing worse than when she had to explain about her parents or Grams. "I understand."

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I lost my parents too."

Then he was perfect for this town. Mystic Falls had to have the highest parent fatality rate in the world. "I'm sorry."

He gave a smile anyone could tell was forced. "It was a long time ago."

* * *

After class Stefan ad offered to walk Bonnie to her locker. While they made their way down the hall they busied themselves by making small talk. She had decided that she saw both Stefan and Caroline as good friends in her future. When they reached her locker she found Elena waiting for her. "Elena," She called, "This is Stefan Salvatore, Stefan this is my best friend Elena."

Neither of them had moved. Bonnie doubted that they both heard her. She was about to repeat herself when Stefan held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Um…yeah, you too." Elena stuttered. Bonnie was sort of shocked she had never seen Elena act like this around guys, not even Matt. She suddenly felt like the third wheel and cleared her throat. That seemed enough to break through their romance novel stare.

"We better get to class, Lena."

"Yeah, right."

Bonnie smirked, "I'll see you later Stefan."

"Bye Bonnie, I'll see you two around."

"And Elena's in love." Bonnie said after Stefan was out of earshot.

"What? No." She tried to deny.

"Oh, I guess all the eye sexing was in my imagination."

"We weren't eye sexing. I just felt kind of a pull towards him. I know we just met but I-I can't even explain it."

"You don't have to, he looked like he was into you too."

"You think so?" Bonnie didn't get a chance to reply when Elena pulled out her phone. "It's Jenna. Hello?" She held the phone closer. "Wait slow down. No, it won't be a problem, we're on our way."

When she hung up, Bonnie was on alert. "What's wrong?"

"Jenna wants us home now."

She nodded, "Did she say why?"

Elena shook her head. "No, but it sounded serious."

"Jeremy?"

"I'll text him." They made their way out of school. Elena's phone beeped again. "Jeremy's getting a ride from a friend."

Bonnie only nodded numbly as they climbed in the car. The ride back home was short and silent. She couldn't shake the bad feeling she was getting. The feeling intensified when they arrived at the house to find two police cars in front. They hurried inside to find a serious looking Jenna talking to the cops. Her eyes landed on Bonnie and her face turned sympathetic. "Here she is."

A middle aged officer turned to face Bonnie. "Miss Bennett?"

"Yes," She answered shakily.

"Have you had any contact with your cousin lately?"

"What? No, I haven't talked to her in a few weeks."

"Can you remember the specific date?"

"No," She felt Elena grab her hand.

"What is this about?" Elena asked, impatiently.

"We received a call from your cousin's boyfriend. She hasn't been home in a while and none of her other contacts have heard from her. We searched her place and her things were untouched. When you last spoke to her did she say anything was wrong? Did she sound troubled?"

"No," Bonnie snapped a little louder than necessary. "She was fine she said that she would see me soon. She said she was okay. How could she be gone?"

Elena held her hand tighter. "We don't know that. This isn't the first time she's taken off. Remember?" Bonnie tried to calm herself and nodded. She was right. Lucy did this all the time, but never without contacting her. She had lost her parents and Grams she couldn't lose Lucy too. "Everything's gonna be fine."

Bonnie couldn't bring herself to agree.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry it's taking so long for me to update, but it's really hard to stay inspired to write for a show you barely like anymore. I'll keep writing though, and I would love to hear opinions.


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